Many people say, “Everything happens for a reason”. Although I doubt this statement at times, the thing in my life that proves it to me is hockey. I live next door to an ice hockey rink. Some say this is totally by chance, but I believe it was meant to be. By the time I was two, my brother who is only a year and a half older than me, had already skated. I was soon to follow. There is nothing like your first time. Right when I stepped on the ice I slipped and went down hard. But I got up! I fell in love with being hockey at such an early age, and though I had to work at it, the joy from it came to me almost naturally.
Skating was the first step. The first time I slipped on the ice was the beginning of my skill development, which I am still working on to this day. While balancing on blades 1/8 of an inch think, you need to use good skating technique to move with speed on ice. Bending your knees, back straight, head up, and long strides, all come with practice. Next were the stick skills, such as stick handling, passing, and shooting. These all take time, patience, and determination. After years of practice, the puck and your stick become one. Arguably the most important skill is one you cannot be taught, game sense. This is valuable in all sports. As Wayne Gretzky said, “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” It comes from experience and you must know the game inside and out. Game sense is the strongest part of my game. Although many believe so, skill development is not the only thing that makes you skilled at hockey.
In order to grow as a hockey player, you must accept that the sport is a team sport. Being successful at a sport does not just involve having the skill to participate, but also having the ability to be a good teammate. A famous hockey coach named Herb Brooks once said, “When you pull on that jersey, your represent yourself and your teammates. And the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back.” Working with your teammates is vital to being a great hockey player. Learning individual skills alone is not enough. When I was little I thought being a teammate just meant you wore the same jersey. As I got older, particularly in high school, I gained more knowledge of what it meant to be a teammate. Through the passion we all shared for hockey, my teammates became my family and it showed on the ice. When we saw that one of our teammates was not able to get of the ice for a line switch, we got the puck to the other end of the ice as quickly as possible to allow her to make it off the ice. We all knew each other strengths, but more importantly we knew each other’s weaknesses. This allowed us to come together as a team to use our strengths to fill in the weaknesses of individuals, making our team play at the top level. We supported each other on the ice, in the locker room, and in life.
My knowledge about hockey is unusual because living next door to a rink is a unique opportunity. I not only know skills and teamwork, but I also know the ins and outs of the rink itself. Being a skilled player may be enough for some people. Most hockey players show up to the rink for a practice or game, drop their skates off to be sharpened, and then go home. Since I live next to a rink, the rink became a big part of my life. The guys that worked at the rink became family. I spent just as much time, if not more, there, then I did at my own house. I was labeled a “rink rat”. But in the time I spent there, I learned so much. I learned how to sharpen skates, fix helmets, and cut sticks, all of which are overlooked, but essential, to the sport. Then I learned about the rink itself. Have you ever wondered how a rink stays cold? Or how they put up or take down the ice? Or how they get those lines on the ice? Most hockey players should, but do not know the answers to these questions. I know the answers to all these questions. This understanding of the rink gives me a unique perspective compared to other young adults with hockey expertise.
Through hockey I have grown not only in my athletic skill and knowledge, but also as a person. Here at The University of Rhode Island, I am on the Women’s Hockey team, where my skills will continue to grow and my expertise will grow stronger. My experiences with teamwork have been irreplaceable. I will use it in everything I do including school, my job, and interacting with people in general. In the future, I hope to pass my knowledge and enthusiasm about hockey on to young hockey players just like I once was. My dream is to coach and make a difference in players’ lives, not only on the ice, but off as well. Right now I work for a hockey training organization called T.E.A.M.S Training, which stands for teaching excellent athletic morals. By teaching hockey and excellent athletic morals, I will be passing my knowledge and my love of the game, thereby putting my expertise to good use.
Many people say, “Everything happens for a reason”. Although I doubt this statement at times, the thing in my life that proves it to me is hockey. I live next door to an ice hockey rink. Some say this is totally by chance, but I believe it was meant to be. By the time I was two, my brother who is only a year and a half older than me, had already skated. I was soon to follow. There is nothing like your first time. Right when I stepped on the ice I slipped and went down hard. But I got up! I fell in love with being hockey at such an early age, and though I had to work at it, the joy from it came to me almost naturally.
Skating was the first step. The first time I slipped on the ice was the beginning of my skill development, which I am still working on to this day. While balancing on blades 1/8 of an inch think, you need to use good skating technique to move with speed on ice. Bending your knees, back straight, head up, and long strides, all come with practice. Next were the stick skills, such as stick handling, passing, and shooting. These all take time, patience, and determination. After years of practice, the puck and your stick become one. Arguably the most important skill is one you cannot be taught, game sense. This is valuable in all sports. As Wayne Gretzky said, “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” It comes from experience and you must know the game inside and out. Game sense is the strongest part of my game. Although many believe so, skill development is not the only thing that makes you skilled at hockey.
In order to grow as a hockey player, you must accept that the sport is a team sport. Being successful at a sport does not just involve having the skill to participate, but also having the ability to be a good teammate. A famous hockey coach named Herb Brooks once said, “When you pull on that jersey, your represent yourself and your teammates. And the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back.” Working with your teammates is vital to being a great hockey player. Learning individual skills alone is not enough. When I was little I thought being a teammate just meant you wore the same jersey. As I got older, particularly in high school, I gained more knowledge of what it meant to be a teammate. Through the passion we all shared for hockey, my teammates became my family and it showed on the ice. When we saw that one of our teammates was not able to get of the ice for a line switch, we got the puck to the other end of the ice as quickly as possible to allow her to make it off the ice. We all knew each other strengths, but more importantly we knew each other’s weaknesses. This allowed us to come together as a team to use our strengths to fill in the weaknesses of individuals, making our team play at the top level. We supported each other on the ice, in the locker room, and in life.
My knowledge about hockey is unusual because living next door to a rink is a unique opportunity. I not only know skills and teamwork, but I also know the ins and outs of the rink itself. Being a skilled player may be enough for some people. Most hockey players show up to the rink for a practice or game, drop their skates off to be sharpened, and then go home. Since I live next to a rink, the rink became a big part of my life. The guys that worked at the rink became family. I spent just as much time, if not more, there, then I did at my own house. I was labeled a “rink rat”. But in the time I spent there, I learned so much. I learned how to sharpen skates, fix helmets, and cut sticks, all of which are overlooked, but essential, to the sport. Then I learned about the rink itself. Have you ever wondered how a rink stays cold? Or how they put up or take down the ice? Or how they get those lines on the ice? Most hockey players should, but do not know the answers to these questions. I know the answers to all these questions. This understanding of the rink gives me a unique perspective compared to other young adults with hockey expertise.
Through hockey I have grown not only in my athletic skill and knowledge, but also as a person. Here at The University of Rhode Island, I am on the Women’s Hockey team, where my skills will continue to grow and my expertise will grow stronger. My experiences with teamwork have been irreplaceable. I will use it in everything I do including school, my job, and interacting with people in general. In the future, I hope to pass my knowledge and enthusiasm about hockey on to young hockey players just like I once was. My dream is to coach and make a difference in players’ lives, not only on the ice, but off as well. Right now I work for a hockey training organization called T.E.A.M.S Training, which stands for teaching excellent athletic morals. By teaching hockey and excellent athletic morals, I will be passing my knowledge and my love of the game, thereby putting my expertise to good use.